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Cast Aluminum Trans Pans?

sled_dog

sled_dog

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Thinking a nice TCI Cast aluminum transmission pan for my new rig(if the guy ever calls me about this thing!). Never feel safe witht hose slushboxes under me. The thing claims to hold 2 extra quarts and to cool much better, anyone have experience with them?
 
Personally I just went with one of the cheap chrome steel ones. Thye steel will bend if it gets hit, the cast alum. will break and youll loose all the fluid.
 
Finally, someone with the same logic as myself, I would rather have a dented tranny pan then not be able to go anywhere because a rock or whatever broke my tranny pan and leaked out all the fluid.
 
I put a TCI trans pan on my 1978 Malibu last summer with a turbo 350. The aluminum pan is about 1/2 inch thick all the way around and very heavy chunck of metal. I don't think you will have any problems rocks busting through one of the TCI pans. Just my 2 cents /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
I don't run much where I could do this and I really don't plan on off roading till she is sitting substantially higher than stock. Then again how long does that ever last?
 
Most of the cheap chrome aluminum pans are stamped poorly and have problems sealing - that's what I was told.

The aluminum ones were cost prohibitive (for me anyways), so the old one went back on /forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 
The B&M pan I bought holds an extra 2 quarts and I have had it on and off 3-4 times and I have never had any problems with it leaking.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thinking a nice TCI Cast aluminum transmission pan for my new rig(if the guy ever calls me about this thing!). Never feel safe witht hose slushboxes under me. The thing claims to hold 2 extra quarts and to cool much better, anyone have experience with them?

[/ QUOTE ]
A proper tranny cooler holds an extra pint and cools 20 times better then a bigger pan with extra volume. I run Hayden stack plate coolers (like a B&M). It's 1/2 inch thing and 11x11/75. It's rated upt to 10k towing on a MOTOR HOME. So roughly 22,000lb GVWR.

On my other trucks I run these. I towed a car from Knoxville to Atlanta with 3.08 gears and 32's and only one time did the tranny get over 200deg. It was a long hill that Semis were down to 35mph and I cruised it at 50mph.
 
i run a TCI pan and a 24,000 GVW B&M cooler.

i like it, and it take all of it to keep my junk cool.
 
I am going to use likve a 20,000+ GVW tranny cooler as well. And yeah stamped aluminum pans are crappy but this is cast not stamped.
 
get whatever pan cools the best... thats the top priority. If you go in rocks and stuff that might damage the pan, you should have a skid plate protecting that sensitive part of your rig anyway... you do have a skidplate... RIGHT!!?!!?

j
 
I think the best pan would be a welded up aluminum pan...

Chrome sucks for heat transfer!...so if you get a chrome deep pan you should sand blast off all the chrome and paint it black.

The other nice thing about a deep pan is you could keep the pickup submerged longer going up steep hills.
 
I just happen to be in the market for a deep pan for a TH350... I want steel, not aluminum. As was mentioned, I don't care about the extra capacity, but the depth for the pickup is good... Anyone know where to get one?
 
aluminum is the better bet in my eyes russ. they are just at strong if not stronger to prevent case flex. they cool LOTS better and hold more, also helping cool.

also let me know if you plan on making a truss for yout TH350. on the top like we talked about at marvs. i want to see how it comes out.
grant
 
I'm not really dead set against aluminum, but I do prefer steel. Cooling is not an issue with my monster stacked plate cooler combined with a very good custom radiator (thanks Dan, you were right!). I'm just more comfortable with steel. Given that, the steel is generally going to be cheaper, so why spend more money?

Yes, I do plan on making a truss, and I will take pics. I've got a start on an article for modifying the rockers for high clearance (based on my son's K5). Also one on using a Ford 205 to build a GM doubler.
 
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